The invention relates to a method for treating washing in a program-controlled washing machine and a washing machine that is particularly suitable for implementing said method.
With a known washing method the washing to be washed is only treated with a detergent solution, also referred to as liquor, comprising a quantity of water, which is sufficient for the washing to be washed to be saturated with water and to allow an exchange between the heating unit and the detergent solution by way of a remaining, smallest possible quantity of free liquor, generally 2 to 3 liters, to heat the detergent solution and the washing. This is ensured by a suitable method for regulating the water level in the drum and by tailoring the quantity of water to the absorption capacity of the washing. The free liquor is obtained by deducting the quantity of water bound in the washing from the quantity of water introduced into the washing machine. Cotton fabric binds around 200% of its own weight, so that a 6 kg load of cotton fabric binds approximately 12 l water.
In DE 10 2004 039 662 A1 a program-controlled washing machine is described with a wetting process, which can be tailored to the necessary quantity of water in a washing drum supported in a rotatable fashion about a non-vertical axis in an outer tub by means of a water supply system and a control facility, it being possible to control the timing of the supply of water to the outer tub and the wetting process being divided into the same number of phases (Ph1 to Ph3) as there are quantity classifications (small, medium, large) for the washing to be treated.
The energy consumption of a washing machine is essentially determined by the energy required to heat the water. Reducing the quantity of water in the washing machine would therefore be desirable, in particular reducing the quantity of free liquor. However the transfer of heat from the heating unit to the washing must be brought about by the free liquor. A further reduction of the liquor and therefore a reduction of the energy consumption are therefore very difficult to achieve.